After a rocky start to 2023, the UFC will put on its first card of the year in the wake of the promotion’s president Dana White being caught on camera slapping his wife across the face. In a fight made on short notice due to Kelvin Gastelum pulling out due to injury, Sean Strickland will be stepping in to take on Nassourdine Imavov in Saturday night’s main event. The two middleweight contenders will be fighting at 205 lbs due to Strickland stepping in at the last minute. In this bout, you have two fighters heading in the opposite direction. Strickland will be looking to snap a two-fight skid after being on the cusp of a title shot, while Imavov is hoping his first main event will put his name on the radar as a future title contender at 185 lbs.
UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Date: Saturday, Jan 14, 2023 | 7 p.m. ET
Venue: UFC APEX, Las Vegas
Prelims 4 p.m. ET
Priscila Cachoeira (+205) vs. Sijara Eubanks (-250)
Charles Johnson (-350) vs. Jimmy Flick (+275)
Dan Argueta (-550) vs. Nick Aguirre (+410)
Allan Nascimento (-335) vs. Carlos Hernandez (+260)
Mateusz Rębecki (-700) vs. Nick Fiore (+500)
Claudio Ribeiro (-110) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (-110)
Javid Basharat (-350) vs. Mateus Mendonça (+275)
Main Card 7 p.m. ET
Umar Nurmagomedov (-900) vs. Raoni Barcelos (+600)
Ketlen Vieira (-120) vs. Raquel Pennington (+100)
Punahele Soriano (-155) vs. Roman Kopylov (+130)
Dan Ige (-125) vs. Damon Jackson (+105)
Sean Strickland (+105) vs. Nassourdine Imavov (-125)
I have good news for you if you’re in the mood to see Sean Strickland lose back-to-back main events at a UFC Fight Night.
Strickland (25-5) is a late fill-in for Kelvin Gastelum, and he has a tough opponent in Nassourdine Imavov. Seeking to avoid his third straight defeat will be a tough task for Strickland against the grappling-heavy Imavov (12-3). This will be fought at light heavyweight, a weight class that would make sense for either fighter, given the especially crowded scene atop the middleweight division. Imavov has won nine of his past ten and has a distinct advantage on the mat.
An interesting aspect of this fight is whether the winner will keep fighting at light heavyweight. Strickland desperately needs to avoid another loss and gain momentum, while Imavov is entering with a three-fight win streak. If Imavov wins, this will mark his most impressive victory yet.
BET: Imavov via DEC +300
There are two fights that I am looking at on this card. Former high school wrestling teammates and Hawaii natives Dan Ige and Punahele Soriano find themselves in bouts featured on the main card. Ige (-125) will be taking on Damon Jackson in a pretty even matchup. Ige will have his back against the wall in attempting to stay in the top 15 of the featherweight division, while the veteran in Jackson is in the twilight of his career. Soriano (-155) will take on a dangerous Russian fighter in Roman Kopylov. Soriano, the more accomplished grappler, will be able to weather the storm and come away with a victory.
BET: Parlay Ige and Soriano +197
SI Video Julian Pinto
In the main event, I have Nassourdine Imavov getting the decision over Sean Strickland. Imavov likes to push the pace, and I do not think Strickland, a volume puncher, will have the firepower to keep Imavov off of him for five rounds.
BET: Imavov via DEC +300
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